Activists: Bring Obama Out to Samaria

A group of activists have a suggestion for President Obama: While in Israel, he should visit Har Kabir, in the center of Samaria.

By David Lev

First Publish: 2/11/2013, 9:11 PM

A view of Har Kabir

Netanel Elinson

According to the White House, President Barack H. Obama's itinerary for his visit to Israel is still open. So, a group of activists have decided to suggest a destination to the President: Har (Mount) Kabir, in the center of the Shomron (Samaria)..

The suggestion comes as a reaction by leftists that Obama make a speech in Rabin Square as a way of identifying with leftist groups pushing the government to make concessions to the Palestinian Authority. The prospect of Obama speaking in the spot where Yitzchak Rabin was shot and killed will, the leftist groups hope, will “inspire” Israelis to embrace the Oslo Accords that Rabin imposed upon Israel, and in the wake of which over 1,000 Israelis have been killed in terror attacks.

At the center of the country - next to the Samaria community of Har Bracha, adjacent to Shechem - Har Kabir makes a much more sensible venue for a speech, or even a visit, say the activists, who have set up a Facebook page with a petition urging Obama to do just that. Har Kabir, with its sweeping views of the Land of Israel and deep historic associations, is a great place to get to know the real Israel, the activists say. “If 50,000 people join our call and sign, Obama will have no choice but to ignore the demands of the left. We will be able to ruin their plans.” And if the petition generates hundreds of thousands of signatures, “Obama will come out to Samaria for a visit.”

Although Obama's final agenda has not yet been announced, White House teams are hard at work finalizing it. In previous Presidential visits, the U.S. leader has not had an unplanned minute during their time in Israel, and it's expected that Obama's upcoming visit will be similar.